Lost Knight
by corbac
Summary: Here comes a story about an underestimated fact through the whole world of Hallownest and beyond. When the Troupe goes on, goes back, travels through the wastelands between fallen kingdoms. In the place where the wind wrecks souls off of their bodies. They sometimes do strange encounters...


Here is a short story about one of my invented Hollow Knight Characters. I might put on an illustration later to share his face:3

Disclaimer : I didn't owned any of the characters I've referred on this story. All credits goes to Team Cherry®.

Note : English is not my first langage, so I probably did a lot of grammar mistakes. Please be gentle and feel free to report if you see some.

Have a great time !

Stone. Stone everywhere. Above, below, in front, behind, every side. No light, too. It's pressing hard. _It_ can feel the pressure on his mask, _It_ is afraid. Where is _It _? _It_ doesn't remember. What happened ? _It_ doesn't know.

Memories are dancing inside his shell. Something about a cart and some weird bugs. Corpses all around, white faces and dark empty eyes. The bugs are worried, they want to go faster. They speak with panick, they are fleeing something. And then comes the jolt.

_It_ slips, _It_ tries to catch something, but _It_ hasn't enough force. _It_ hits the hard floor with a mat noise. _It_ doesn't remember any pain. Did the bugs heard about him ? Did they looked behind ? _It_ doesn't know. But the cart leaved out without reaction. _It_ tried to cry for help, but again… no voice to cry.

_It_ feels panic inside his mind. This place is dark and crushing. _It_ needs to get out. So _I__t_ scratches and wriggles and twistes his self. The stone moves slowly and then faster. Everything feels lighter and lighter. Finally, with one more twist, _It_'s head succeeds to reach the free air.

Surface. _It_ looks around him. Things are… different. The floor is made of stone. Here and there, big shells are lying. Seems empty. Maybe occupants have leaved ? It's not a reassuring though, _It_ thinks.

The rest of the world is grey. The sky is cloudy, a dense fog hides everything beyond ten meters. Maybe this place is a cave, _It_ thinks. Maybe _It_ is still inside the Nest…

But It can't be. _It_ knows it because of this cold violent wind blowing in all directions. Caves don't have wind, the atmosphere of the Nest is still and weighty.

Underground, there was nothing to see in all directions. Now that _It_ has reached the surface, It realises he hasn't made a lot of progress. Still, nothing to see in all directions. Only grey stones, grey sky and wind. Any normal being would feel desperate in this wasteland. Where to go ? Where to eat ? Where to sleep ?

_It_ feels lost. _It_ sits in confusion. But with this new freedom, burried memories are awakening. Deep inside his mask, a white shard starts to glow and suddenly the light hits him violently ! _It_ understands why _It_ awoke now, why _It_ felt the urge of getting out. Something is calling him through the wind and the fog. _It_ is wanted somewhere, It has a mission to fulfill !

_It_ starts to move without hesitation. The memory is fresh now. The path, the giant hill. And below lies the Kingdom, full of life, full of bugs. Full of heat an light. Agitation, and then the Palace. And inside the Palace is the King. The mission, the purpose…

_« Born of God and Void »_

_It_ starts to walk. The path is clear now.

_It_ has walked for hours. The light hasn't changed, the landscape as well. Same fog, same stones, same grey sky. And the wind is all the same.

At first, _It_ walked fast. No hesitation, no time to mess around. But this last hour, something has changed. _It_ just started to notice it, _It_ was so inconspicious that It firstly thought It was just an impression. But now something feels weird.

_It_ stops slowly. The wind is strong and reaps through the inside of his mask. _It_ realises _It_ slowed his walk on the past hour. When _It_ leaved his starting point, _It_ was almost running. But then _It_ unconsciously started to walk quickly, ant then to walk normally.

This wasn't right, _It_ knew it. _It_ doesn't know tiredness, _It_ doesn't need to rest. So why did _It_ slowed down ?

The wind is strong. _It_ can feel it. The wind tries to sneak everywhere.

This place isn't safe. This thought reached his mind quickly. Something around him is threateful but _It_ can't see it. Just a feeling about it being just in front of his eyes.

Fear spread through _It_'s substantial mind. _It_ has to hurry. _It_ runs through the fog.

« _No __mind to think__ »_

_It_ walked for hours now. But everything is still the same.

The wind is still strong. It never stops blowing.

_It_ tried to run, but again his path began to slow down. But there is worst. It started to feel it as the wind blowed his face. His mind is turning white.

_It_ stops. Again.

The wind is everywhere. The wind blows under his shredded cloak. The wind blows on his void-shaped body. Blows like hundred of thousands on nails piercing his being.

Where is _It_?

The thought has hitted him quick. Suddenly _It_ feels completely lost in the middle of nowhere. An empty land for an empty mind.

_It_ shakes his head. No ! _It_ has a goal ! _It_ has a purpose ! The Nest is calling him back ! The King needs him ! Through the fog and the stone, through the wind, the path was here only a second ago !

_It_ runs now. The path was here, _It_ can still feel the call. _It_ knows where to go, but for how long ? Memories were here only a second ago and they vanished in an instant. _It_ must hurry, for the sake of his Kingdom, for the will of his King !

_« No will to break »_

The wind still blows.

_It_ walked again and again. For hours, for days. Or was it for months ? _It_ don't know, it also could have been for seconds. _It_ tried to remember. How long has it been ? But the question faded away before the answer.

Where is _It_ ?

A new question on his mind. Or was it new ? Did _It_ had though before about it ?

The wind is still the same. Violent, coming from every direction.

_It_ suddenly understands why all theses empty shells on his path. This place is cursed.

The wind blowing so hard on his eyes. Piercing his soul like billions of nails. Rubbing between his mask and his body.

This place eats the soul.

_It_ starts to slow down again. Energy is fading away with memories. The path is gone now.

_It_ should'nt had got out of the ground.

How was the Nest when _It_ leaved it ? _It_ don't remember. There was light, agitation, noise and life. But who were theses peoples ? Did they know _It _? Will they cry for _It_, or even care ? _It_ wants to cry, but his eyes are empty. But crying for what ? Before _It_ realises, the Nest is Gone. Only the sadness stays.

Will the King be sad ? Will he miss him ? Or maybe it was the Queen. _It_ tries to decide but it's gone too.

The wind is inside his mask, washing away his spirit, taking his memories. The cart, the bodies, the ground, the mission, the caves. Stone everywhere, gray stone and gray sky. Where was _It_ walking ? There was a path, or was it ? Was it even something before ?

_It_ looks around him. Everything is blank on his mind. _It_ has so less now, only fear and confusion. Where to go now ? Right ? Left ? Why keep walking ? _It_ wants to cry, to beg, please somewhone notice _It _! _It_ is here, _It_ is lost ! _It_ doesn't belongs here !

_« No voice to cry suffering »_

_It_'s eyes can't produce tears. _It_'s mouth is shut forever.

Buried memories flows off his mind. Forgotten memories of a time before his creation.

_« He was wrong. Void thinks someway. His mistake was cruel to us. »_

Who was this person shaped with light ? Why is _It_ feeling so bitterish ?

_« The other corpses, so many of them, Filling the caves. »_

This existence. So fast, so irreal. Why ? Why this emptiness ?

_« A cost too great. »_

_It_ stops and slowly collapses on the ground.

Eveything is gone now.

A spark of red light through the fog. _It_ barely catched it before his fall. Was it an illusion ?

This red light gets bigger. The fog is dyed with red. With this light comes heat, and an unusual noise is getting closer. Strident and mocking. Something is coming.

The light is brighter and brighter, and it isn't only one light. They are two ! Two big glowy red lights floating in the air, which is suddenly filled with whisperings and music. And behind the two lights come a worrisome procession. Shaped in dark shredded shadows, emanating a whirwlind of fear. Semi-visible, like some kind of hallucination. Half real and half nightmare. And thoses two red gloomy lights… _It_ can feels them piercing his empty mind, even if _It_'s not even looking at them, as well as this music who makes his mask vibrate. _It_ instinctly lifts his head and looks in their direction. They are not lights ! They are eyes. Two big hypnotic eyes who looks directly inside of his being, burning his wiped mind. And behind the eyes stands a frightening creature.

« Well Well Well » The creature just spoke with a deep whisper. « What have we here ?! »

An other voice from behind the creature. Guttural. His owner hides in the shadow, out of sight.

« Master, what happened ? Why did we stopped ? What happened ? What have you found ? »

The strange creature comes closer. Something on him triggers _It_. A feeling of fear. A need to escape. But feelings are gone since a long time, taked by the wind.

« My friend » the creature says, with his eyes plunged into _It_'s mind. « This is no place to be for any living being. Don't you know the wind of the howling lands has the power to steal your mind ? »

_It_ cannot detach his look from this dark and red person. His voice sounds soothing, comforting. _It_ feels his head swinging lightly, like a doll filled with cotton. The heat of these eyes is in some way reassuring.

_« Fine craft dear Wyrm, and perfect tool to prolong the heart of Grimm. »_

« You seem quite lost. And I can see at your face you have nowhere to go »

That sounds like a lie. Did _It_ has somewhere to go ? Maybe there was…

« You have some luck, my friend. Not everybody can claim he met the Master of the Troupe in person. Furthemore, in a middle of this wasteland. » … was _It_ thinking something ? Can _It_ think ?… « I suppose I could leave you here to your destiny, but I have a reputation of real gentleman to hold. This might be your day of fortune. »

The creature bring his eyes closer. Only a few centimeters of separation between _It_'s dark empty holes and the two big red bulbs. The heat makes _It_ feels like in a cocoon. _It_ realises the wind is gone by now.

« You see, my friend. Me and my Troupe, we are in a need for… staffs. You seems mighty and self-substancial, and full of… rare qualities. Maybe I can offer you a lift in exchange of… well… an employment. What do you think ? »

_It_ doesn't understand the words. What does this stranger wants of him ? _It_ hesitate, something deep inside him tells him to run away. But theses eyes… This heat, theses lights… _It_ don't want to be lost alone again. _It_ don't want to feel the wind through his mind. Everything would be better, even this frightening stranger.

_It_ can't talk. But It can nod.

« Magnificient ! » The creature suddenly lifted up, restoring a few meters between each other's eyes. « I was certain we would find an arrangment. My friend, I welcome you to the Troupe ! »

With this separation comes a loosed feeling. What did _It_ just do ? _It_'s mind is so light…

« However ! » the creature quickly came back to his proximity look. « However my friend, It's important for you to know the rules of obedience which every member of our cortege has to submit to. »

The heat of his eyes is rising, leaving the cocooning effect for a feeling of burning. Demoniac flames suddenly appears around him. _It_ feels panic, but _It_ just can't run.

« The wirm has left you a mark, my friend. He applies his signature on every being he creates. Now that you are my property, I'll have to remove this mark and appose my own instead. »

A violent burst of red brutally shine on _It_'s mind. Ravaging everything, burning the soul. Inside the dark limbs of _I_t's eyes, two little flames are now dancing.

« From now on, MY Knight, you shall call me Master ! »

We are the troup.

Through dreams we travel, at lantern's call.

A place and another, and how many more ?

To consume the flames of fallen Kingdoms.

Someone called us to the Hallowed Nest.

But the path is filled with hazards.

So they sended me.

I am the vanguard.

I am the emissary.

I clear the path.

I am Grimm's Knight.


End file.
